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In the war room of the General Staff of the Imperial Army, the map hanging on the wall has been replaced by a map of the Kingdom of Spain. On the map, the movements of the Spanish, British and French armies are marked with pens of different colors. Emperor Long Yufei stood in front of the map, frowning, and seemed to be very dissatisfied with the current situation.

General Sun Hao, chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Liu Zhongming, minister of operations, Lin Zihao, prime minister, Wei Yuan, minister of foreign affairs, and General Luo Hongtao, director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, stood beside Long Yufei and said nothing.

After a long time, Long Yufei took a deep breath, and then said, "No matter what, the Kingdom of Spain cannot be destroyed!" The Kingdom of Spain was a hardcore ally of the Empire, and if Spain was destroyed, the situation in Europe would likely have a ripple effect. Therefore, it was necessary to preserve the Kingdom of Spain, and only in this way could the European theater of war continue. Otherwise, our plans will not be realized! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty! Whatever the purpose, the Kingdom of Spain must be saved! Prime Minister Lin Zihao also said.

"Chief of the General Staff, do you have any plans for the General Staff?" Long Yufei asked.

"Your Majesty, the Spanish side has asked the Imperial Navy to assist them in the defense of Barcelona, and I have agreed. And an order was given to the 1st fleet. At the moment, the main forces of the 1st fleet are rushing to Barcelona. When the time comes, the 1st Fleet will assist the Spanish Army with powerful naval guns. The French wanted to capture Barcelona, which was unrealistic. Chief of the General Staff, General Sun Hao, said.

Long Yufei nodded: "Valladolid and the battle of Barcelona." It is very important, and the safety of the Kingdom of Spain is at stake. Can there be other ways we can help the Kingdom of Spain? ”

"陛xià. The Imperial Army's 15th Army was only four days' flight from Spain. Originally, the 15th Army was planned to land in southern Spain. The War Department was built yì. Let the 15th Army land directly in Barcelona and cooperate with the Spanish Army to encircle and annihilate the French army attacking Barcelona. If these French forces could be annihilated in one fell swoop, then the situation in Spain might be stabilized, or even reversed. In addition, we build yì, the 16th Army also needs to set off for the Kingdom of Spain as soon as possible! Lieutenant General Niu Liu Zhongming, Minister of Operations, said.

"Hmmm! Since the Spaniards can't withstand the attacks of the British and French, let's just shoot! Long Yufei said. Although, prematurely involved in the war in Europe. This is not much good for the Empire. However, the Empire could not have watched Spain fall without it, otherwise the Empire would have lost even more.

"Your Majesty, in that case, we will inform the Spanish side, let them hold on, and cooperate with our plan!" This was stated by the Chief of the General Staff, General Sun Hao.

"Hmmm! But. The Spaniards were currently very strained in the Empire's forces. Therefore, we can only throw a maximum of two army groups into the Spanish battlefield, which is already our limit. The rest of the troops will have to rely on the Spaniards themselves! Long Yufei said. At this stage, the focus of the Imperial Army is still on the Sino-Russian battlefield. Indian Theater and North American Theater. Only after decisive victories in these battlefields will the Imperial Army appear in the European theater without worries.

"Yes. 陛xià! General Sun Hao, Chief of the General Staff, nodded.

The General Staff of the Chinese Empire sent a telegram to the War Department of the Kingdom of Spain, which made the Spanish Minister of War Simón. The Duke of Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief. Though. The present situation is very unfavorable for the Kingdom of Spain. However, if the Spanish Army had been able to cooperate with the expeditionary forces of the Chinese Empire to destroy a French* army first, then the whole situation would have been able to develop in its favor. At that time, the tide of the war in Spain could be reversed.

After receiving the telegram, Simon. The Duke of Maria immediately rushed to the royal palace in Madrid to report the good news to Queen Isabella II.

"Your Majesty, good news. Our ally, the Chinese Empire, has promised to send troops to help us. Their first army will land in a week at most! "Simon. Duke Maria's face was full of smiles.

"Oh God! The Chinese have finally arrived. How many people were in their first army? Queen Isabella II asked in surprise.

"Your Majesty, the expeditionary force sent by the Chinese Empire, the first batch was a group army, with a full 180,000 men. Another group army, which had just set out from the Chinese Empire, was estimated to take another month to reach Spain. "Simon. Duke Maria replied.

"Only 180,000 people?" Queen Isabella II was somewhat disappointed. Such a small number of troops seems to be too few. After all, the British and French invaded Spain with millions of troops. The army of the Kingdom of Spain, including the recruits being trained, also exceeded a million people. Both sides have invested more than 2 million men on the battlefield, and 180,000 reinforcements seem to be nothing at all.

"Your Majesty, the Chinese Empire still has to maintain several other battlefields, and it is already rare to be able to provide us with two group armies. What's more, the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Chinese Army is far superior to ours, and even the French Army and the British Army cannot compare. The landing of the Chinese Army in Spain may really be able to treasure the current unfavorable situation! Prime Minister Duke Valencia hurriedly said. He didn't want Queen Isabella II to have any bad impression of China, which would damage the relationship between the two countries.

"Yes! 陛xià. We, the Kingdom of Spain, were the first country to receive direct assistance from the Chinese Empire! "Foreign Minister José. Morality. Salamanca also said.

Queen Isabella II nodded, a little crying and laughing in her heart. These guys are all ministers of the Kingdom of Spain. However, they now seem to obey the orders of the Chinese Empire. However, she can also understand. After all, the Kingdom of Spain was a hardcore ally of the Chinese Empire, and without the support of the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of Spain would not be where it is today.

"Your Majesty, the Chinese Empire has also put forward a battle plan, and if it succeeds, then the unfavorable situation we are facing can be fundamentally changed!" Simon. Duke Maria continued.

Everyone looked at Simon. Duke of Maria.

"The Chinese side proposed that when the French attacked Barcelona, the 15th Army of the Imperial Chinese Army would land in the rear of the French flank, cooperate with our defenders in Barcelona, and encircle and annihilate the French army attacking Barcelona in one fell swoop. If we can wipe out the more than 200,000 French troops, we will be able to bring about a fundamental change in the strength of both sides. At that time, the 15th Army of the Chinese Army and our army will be able to gradually defeat and destroy the French and British armies that invaded Spain! "Simon. Duke Maria said.

Prime Minister Duke of Valencia, Foreign Minister José. Morality. Salamanca and the Lord of the Admiralty, Duke Aguilera, all nodded their heads one after another.

"However, the point is that we need to hold Barcelona and Valladolid before the Chinese reinforcements land!" Queen Isabella II said.

"Your Majesty, it's not difficult to hold Barcelona. We had 130,000 defenders in Barcelona, and the French attacking Barcelona were only 200,000. Moreover, our defenders in Barcelona can also be supported by the Chinese navy and naval guns, and if the French want to take Barcelona, it is simply impossible, they will only run into a bloody encounter in Barcelona. With their losses in the background, it's a good time for us to fight back! As for Valladolid, now our defenders are massing there, and as long as they can hold out for a few days, more and more troops will arrive. When the time comes, we will be able to hold Valriadolid. "Simon. Duke Maria said with great certainty.

"Well, Duke Maria, I am sure that the army will be victorious!" Queen Isabella II nodded.

"God will bless the Kingdom of Spain, and the Kingdom of Spain will prevail!"

On September 24, 1854, the French Army General Pierre Murphy was appointed to the French Army. Joseph, personally commanding 6 infantry corps to attack Barcelona. However, after the early battle, these six infantry corps were not fully manned, and now there are less than 200,000 men. The defenders of Barcelona were 5 infantry corps of the Spanish Army, with a total of 130,000 men.

At the same time, British Army General William. Nearly 300,000 British troops under the command of Admiral Maynard also began a fierce attack on Valladolid. Whether or not the Spanish Army can hold Valladolid and Barcelona is directly related to the fate of Spain.

Therefore, at the beginning of the battle, the Spanish Army fought very bravely. Although the British and French armies had an absolute superiority in numbers. However, relying on the fortifications built, the Spanish army stubbornly resisted the attacks of the British and French armies.

"Boom! Rumble! ”

As the largest city in northeastern Spain, Barcelona is very well defended. The French army gathered hundreds of artillery pieces and launched a heavy artillery bombardment on Barcelona. However, the valiant Spanish Army fought back-for-tat. The artillery battle between the two sides was very tragic.

The stubborn counterattack of the Spanish Army forced the French Army to attack with infantry without gaining an advantage in artillery fire.

"Da Da Da!"

The low roar of the heavy machine gun meant that countless people were shot. When this defensive weapon is used in warfare, the attacking side often has to pay a heavy price to break through the enemy's defenses. The equipment of the Spanish Army was exactly the same as that of the Imperial Army, which made the French Army suffer a lot during the offensive. (My novel "Dragon Rises in the South Seas" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there will also be a 100% lottery gift for everyone!) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner to "add friends", search for the official account "qdread" and follow, hurry up! (To be continued......)

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